[4GiftsfromGod]

anyone out there who has a child,friend or relative with Cerebral palsy?
My daughter Faith will be home in 20 days she has CP she can't walk nor talk she can babble and sit up very well she can also feed her self.
I would like some advice on what to do and not to do what to expect and anything else you want to share.
I have posted photos of her. Thanks for your help.

[QueenAngie]

Couldn't locate Faith's photo. Your other children are adorable!



Children that have a diagnosis of CP can grow into productive adults.
Much of this depends on intervention, physical abilities, mental capacities of the child.

My 21 yo nephew has CP.
This young man is a guy that everybody loves.
He is the 'head' male cheerleader at the local high school. Even was written up
in the local newspaper as the 'head' male cheerleader.
He never misses a ballgame at school. He is there every evening giving support to the home teams.
He goes in his electric w/c or scooter.

My nephew knows what he wants and has minimal communication skills,
but gets his point acrossed.

His voice is quiet, but his blue eyes sparkle and you can see love, joy, and happiness in those eyes. He gives great hugs too.

At this time, he is 21 and no longer in high school, but he is still active with the ballgames.
His younger sis is going to be a junior this fall in the high school.

Nephew always gets high 5's from the guys at high school, and lots of hugs
from the cute teenager girls. He is just a kid that everybody loves.

He has gone through years of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy,
Speech Therapy.

He goes to summer camp for individuals w/ CP, and weekend camp once a month also.
He has been through horseback riding therapy and just loooooves the horses. Great for muscle control, coordination.

At this time he needs someone to bath, dress, and toilet him. He is too large
for my sis to any longer carry him. It is hard for her to transfer him from bed to chair.
He wears a bib and feeds himself his meals.

His mental status is about a 4 yo, but he is a great guy!

*********

There is a young man at my local Walmart that has CP. He sits on a stool to check-out customers and is friendly, gives correct change, and always says thank you. I have noticed at the snackbar that he is not able to carry his food tray, so another clerk does it for him for his lunch break. He is just as quick as the other clerks to check-out customers, and is much more courteous, than some other clerks.

*********
When Faith arrives, you'll need to get her a physical asap. And if needed into physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Maybe her delays are minimal and she will not need these therapies.

Maybe she just needs a mother's love!

[4GiftsfromGod]

Your nephew sounds so wonderful! Thank you for sharing that wonderful heartfelt story it really touched my heart and help me understand more about cp. As soon as she gets home I’m taking her to get a physical. At the orphanage she doesn’t have a wheelchair so I’m guessing she spends most her time crawling or on her back so I really want her in physical, occupational, and speech therapy ASAP. I want her to have the best care she can possibly have.
I accidentally had set Faith’s photo to private but I fixed it so now you will be able to see it

[mommartin]

Hi Tina,
My 4 year old daughter has cp. Is there any perticular questions you had or just want information in general? There are a few different types of cp as well as how severe the cp is with each child some like my daughter are mild and others are more severe. It sounds like if she is able to sit up and feed herself then hers is on the mild end but I would recommend taking her to a neurologist to see what they say and to get an exact diagnosis. Also ask your doctor if they have a regional center that helps with therapy and stuff so that you can get that started as soon as possible.
If you have any specific questions just let me know and I will try my best to answer them for you.